The Merced River – meaning “mercy” in Spanish, begins in the peaks of Yosemite National Park. This is a perfect run for boaters who are also interested in visiting the park, which is only 40 minutes from the put-in. It is recommended that boaters take this trip in the spring, when waters are high, and the canyon floor is lined with a rainbow of wildflowers like lupine, red bud and California poppy. This is also a great time of year to visit the National Park, as it is not yet flooded with tourists.

This stretch of the Merced offers first-class early season whitewater, combined with picturesque canyon scenery featuring pine forests, rocky ledges and sandy beaches. Boaters can look forward to miles of continuous white water, rollercoaster wave trains and adrenaline pumping rapids.

While the season for running this river is short, it is very intense. Some expert boaters choose to start their run at El Portal where the river’s gradient is over 120 feet per mile. Even at the most popular put-in, Red Bud, the gradient is still 75, promising a wild journey of some continuous Class IIIs, and several boulder strewn slalom rapids that should not be run at high water.